By Mike Fuller
LONDON (AP) --Peter Brook, a British theater and film director known for an influential and distinguished career which saw him garner worldwide acclaim, has died. He was 97.
The two-time Tony Award winner, who had settled in France decades ago, directed the film adaptations of his best stage works as well as the 1963 movie "Lord of the Flies."
Brook's publisher Nick Hern Books said in a statement Sunday that he "leaves behind an incredible artistic legacy." French media reports said that Brook died in Paris on Saturday.
Born in London in 1925, Brook would go on to study at Oxford University and direct his first London show "Doctor Faustus" while he was still a teenager.
After serving as director of productions at the Royal Opera House, he gained further notoriety through his work with the Royal Shakespeare Company, or RSC, including "Titus Andronicus" starring Laurence Olivier.
He was a Tony Award winner for Best Direction in 1966 for his interpretation of Peter Weiss' "Marat/Sade," and in 1970 for the production of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream."
Brook was also the recipient of an Olivier Award, an Emmy and an International Emmy during his seven-decade career.
After settling in Paris in the 1970s, the director founded the International Center for Theater Research, for which he would regenerate the rundown Bouffes du Nord theater in the French capital.
Worldwide recognition also saw him honored with art prizes including Japan's Praemium Imperiale, Italy's Prix Italia, and most recently Spain's Princess of Asturias in 2019.
British actor Adrian Lester, who worked with Brook across RSC productions of Hamlet, tweeted he had been a "giant in our field."
Brook was married to actress Natasha Parry from 1951 before she died following a stroke in 2015. They are survived by two children, Irina and Simon, both of whom are directors.
SMPTE elects board officers, regional governors
SMPTEยฎ,the home of media professionals, technologists, and engineers, has revealed the board officers and regional governors who will serve terms beginning in January 2025.
Three new officers--Richard Welsh as SMPTE president, Eric Gsell as SMPTE executive VP, and Polly Hickling as SMPTE Education VP--have been elected for a two-year term from Jan. 1, 2025, to Dec. 31, 2026. One SMPTE officer, Lisa Hobbs, will be continuing her service as SMPTE secretary and treasurer for another two-year term. Additionally, Raymond Yeung will be stepping into the role of standards VP on Jan. 1, 2025.
โSMPTEโs membership has spoken,โ said SMPTE interim executive director Sally-Ann DโAmato. โThese officers have been tasked with an important responsibility, one each of them is prepared to tackle head-on. These next two years are looking bright for SMPTE!โ
In addition to the officers, 10 regional governors were elected by the Society to serve two-year 2025-2026 terms.
These include the following regional governors, re-elected to continue their service:
Asia-Pacific Region Governor
Tony Ngai, Society of Motion Imaging Ltd.
EMEA - Central & South America Region Governor
Fernando Bittencourt, FB Consultant
United Kingdom Region Governor
Chris Johns, Sky UK.
USA - Central Region Governor
William T. Hayes, Consultant
USA - Eastern Region Governor
Dover Jeanne Mundt, Riedel Communications
USA - Western Region Governor
Jeffrey F. Way, Open Drives
Also elected were four newcomers to the SMPTE Board:
Canada Region Governor
Jonathan Jobin, Grass Valley
USA - Hollywood Region Governor
Allan Schollnick, Voxx... Read More